Wednesday, 28 February 2018

I have always been partial to a check print, whether it’s a cosy tartan check for autumn/winter or a delicious gingham for spring/summer, I’m going to have some form of checks within my wardrobe. The SS18 collections had a variety of checks on show, and the high street seems to be following suit and spoiling us with an array of styles in a rainbow of colours.

I don’t know about you guys, but I am definitely starting to think about the warmer months ahead, especially with how insanely cold it is at the moment. I‘m putting far more thought into any purchases, asking myself if it’s going to be a piece that will take me through to summer and if I’m actually going to get my wear out of it. Enter this oh so pretty grey and white checked dress from Fashion Union. It’s very much a spring dress with the soft shades and feminine peplum shape, it has lovely ruffles on the shoulders as well. I knew it was a style I’d love as soon as I saw it but was reluctant to order it yet. Unfortunately I’ve had to learn the hard way of what happens when you wait to buy something and it ends up being sold out and completely impossible to find, so I figured I’d buy it now and save it. But of course that didn’t end up happening because I’m completely impatient and wanted to wear it straight away (anyone else the same, or is it just me?).

I personally really like the checks on checks look and clashing different prints, so for this particular look I’ve added a borg and faux fur bomber shaped jacket from New Look to keep me from freezing, because seriously it is so freaking cold! I love the textured patchwork pattern and how it clashes with the print on the dress. It probably shouldn’t work in any way, but I actually ended up really liking the two pieces together and it was a great way to be able to start wearing a pretty spring dress now. To finish my outfit off I went for my knee high snake boots from Asos which I’ve had for a couple of years now. I thought they’d add an interesting element to the rest of the look and the colours tied in well. Plus I just look for any opportunity to wear them, so there’s that too.

I do think this dress is going to be perfect once the temperature starts to warm up in the UK and I won’t need to wear 2 pairs of tights every day. I’m planning on wearing it with some white trainers and a round basket bag at the earliest instance.

Sunday, 25 February 2018

It’s been quite some time since my last beauty post, but since I started blogging again I really want to start incorporating more beauty as it is such a big part of my life and something I love. With that said, I wanted to share a new (ish) palette that has become a go to for me.

Anastasia Beverly Hills is one of my absolute favourite make up brands. I use quite a few products from them, with their eyeshadows and highlighters in particular being completely amazing (I use them 99% of the time!). It’s a brand that never used to be that readily available in the UK, so I would stock up on favourites and new products to try when I or my family travelled to the US. The prices end up being cheaper over there too, so on my most recent holiday to Orlando, Florida, I took full advantage and added quite a few more bits to my ABH collection.

One of the new pieces I picked up was the Sugar Glow Kit, so I thought I would do a quick review for you today. I’ve had it for a couple of months now so I’ve been able to form a true opinion. This palette was part of the limited edition holiday collection but it is still available to buy at the moment.

The Sugar Glow Kit is a highlight palette which contains 4 dreamy shades. Described as a collection of metallic powder highlighters for intense luminosity to give a radiant glow, all 4 can be layered and applied wet or dry.

The kit contains 3 shades which have been previously released within other ABH palettes, and 1 new one. I actually haven’t had a highlight kit before so all of these shades are new for me. Before I purchased this palette, I’ve been using Anastasia’s Illuminators as my highlighters, which by the way I can’t rave enough about. I still have a little bit left of Starlight which was my favourite (the tiny bit that’s clinging on is saved for special occasions now), and I then got So Hollywood which I’ve used pretty much every single day since I got it around a year ago. The Illuminators are heartbreakingly (for me) no longer available, so I've been paying more attention to possible replacements. I’ve been interested in the Glow Kits that Anastasia often release for a while, but none of them have ever caught my attention where I’ve thought I’d actually use all of the shades included. The Sugar Kit looked amazing though, and when I went to look at it in person and swatch it I fell in love with the colours.

Marshmallow has been my favourite so far, I love the more white based highlights as they tend to suit me more with me being pale, plus it does remind me of my beloved Starlight. I’m always worried some shades in palettes like this will end up being too dark or pigmented on my skin tone, but all of these work well for me. The formula is very buildable and silky smooth so applies really well, making it very easy to control how much you’re applying and build for a higher coverage. They are very ‘glowy’, with Butterscotch having a bit more sparkle to it with some larger flecks of glitter. For those who prefer a very subtle highlight, I don’t think these are going to be for you. I however absolutely love them and have really enjoyed having more variety of highlighters all in the same, convenient palette. I definitely would recommend if you’re like me and love a good glow. I apply mine along the top of my cheekbones and take around a little above my brow bone, under my brows in the arch, the inner corner of my eyes, down the bridge of my nose and a little on the cupids bow of my lip. I only apply them dry with a brush and haven’t tried them wet yet, but I’d imagine it would be a great way to get a more intense glow. They tend to last a full day as well, which is always an important factor for me.

In terms of how the formula compares to the Illuminators, I have to admit I still personally prefer the Illuminators. They’re a little more pigmented and denser, so you need less product when applying as they are so smooth and just apply like a dream. The shades in the Glow Kit are still amazing; I’m just biased towards the Illuminators. I will say though that the Glow Kit shades aren’t quite as intense which would probably be a plus for many, but they are still very buildable for those that do want a stronger finish.

I can’t say enough good things about the Sugar Glow Kit and I’m so pleased I picked it up. I think I’ll be more interested to try more of the Glow Kits when they’re released as well as it works out quite good value for money when you’re getting 4 shades. My highlighters tend to really last me a while as well so I know this is a palette I’m going to be able to enjoy using for a long time to come. Definitely recommend!

Have you tried the Sugar Glow Kit or any of the other Glow Kits from Anastasia Beverly Hills?

Saturday, 17 February 2018

Do you ever see someone wearing something and love it on them but know full well you just couldn’t pull it off? Well, that’s my relationship with hats. There are so many styles I think look amazing on other people and then when I try them look like a total idiot that will attract an array of questionable looks from people if I were to step out in public.

This past season it’s been baker boy hats that have stolen the attention, and after a long time of wanting to try them I finally caved and ordered one from Topshop. And boy am I glad I did. I still feel very much outside of my comfort zone, but out of the oh so many hats I’ve tried this little baby is actually flattering on my small head. I decided to go for just a classic black option that I know will work with any outfit, in the classic baker boy style. They’ve been such a huge trend that you can find so many different colours, materials and variations on it, and I have to say I am quite tempted to order another one that’s more of a statement piece now that I’ve dipped my toe in this sartorial pool, so to speak.

I kept the rest of this look quite casual, with my navy cord pinafore from Monki, and the dreamiest of pastel pink striped tops, also from Topshop. Stripes are another big trend at the moment, and this top literally grabbed my attention whilst I was just passing through Topshop recently. It’s a lovely, soft cotton material featuring yellow, navy and white stripes. I did go a size up as I wanted it quite oversized, but I actually wish I’d stayed true to size as it is quite a loose fit anyway, so bare that in mind if you’re thinking of ordering.

To compliment the baby pink of my top, I went for my fuchsia block heeled ankle boots from Dune (bonus: they’re currently in the sale). These boots are honestly the comfiest boots I own, so much so I have them in red as well which I’ve worn to death and I’m considering getting the black too. To finish off I have my beloved Danielle Nicole Ariel cross body bag, as I was in a full on Disney mood. They’ve just released some Tangled inspired bags as well, which is one of my all-time favourite Disney films, and the Rapunzel one is currently very high on my wish list. The more I use my Ariel one the more I can try and justify it to myself, or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

So there we have it, baker boy hats for the win in my book. Adding a hat is a great way to finish off your outfit and bring something extra to it. Plus they come in very handy on bad hair days/days you need to wash your hair but just can’t be bothered/saving your hair from the constant rain and miserable weather (in Manchester, at least).

Thursday, 8 February 2018

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you will no doubt have seen that at the end of last year I was fortunate enough to go on holiday to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, aka my favourite place in the entire world!!! (Seriously, I would move there in a heartbeat.)

Despite actively trying not to spam overload my Instagram feed, I did inevitably share many holiday photos, and so many of you loved my outfits that I got lots of lovely messages and comments asking where things were from. So I thought it might be a good idea to do a blog post where I can share the links and talk you through them in a little bit more detail. A lot of these items went in the sale, which is always a good thing if you want to buy, although it also means a few have now sold out, so I’m apologising in advance!

Shopping for a summer holiday in the winter and vice versa can be a bit of a challenge, but I always find online to be the best option as they tend to have more choice and variety than in store. Asos is just my go to anyway, but with them having such a huge variety of pieces and brands they were a saviour for me in finding summer dresses in November, so I definitely recommend checking them out if you’re struggling with the same issue.

I do have a very colourful and girly style and I can’t resist anything cute or Disney related, and I decided to just go all out for my outfits this holiday. But hey, I figured if you can’t at Disney World, when the hell can you eh? It’s going to be a long one, so without further ado, here we go.

I thought I’d go through these chronologically, starting with my outfit for our first day, which we spent at Magic Kingdom (always the first park I do when we go). And OMG this dress, it has rainbows on it! Need I say more? It’s made of the loveliest jersey cotton which made it super comfy and light to wear in the Florida heat. The baby blue colour was perfect for the bright sunny day we had. Now, confession time, before this holiday I didn’t own a single pair of trainers. I know I know, how you say? They’re just not me. But comfy footwear is an absolute must have for an Orlando holiday with all the walking you’re doing around the theme parks, so I had to do the sensible thing and buy some. I spent a while looking at the different styles, and ultimately landed on these baby pink suede ones from Adidas. I’m not going to lie, it was the colour that drew them to me (big surprise), but after trying them on I was so glad I ordered them as they were definitely the comfiest ones out of the several other pairs I tried.

In addition to the trainers, you’re going to see a lot of this utterly adorable baby pink faux fur backpack throughout this post. I actually bought this a couple of years ago now, and it’s just been sat in my cupboard. When I started shopping for my holiday, I remembered I had it and how perfect it would be. It got so many compliments! It was just the right size to fit everything I needed in whilst we were out without being too big to take on the rides or too heavy to carry. Sadly it isn’t available anymore as I bought it so long ago, but there have been a few similar ones around lately so I’ve linked the closest I could find.

For day 2 we headed to Animal Kingdom, which really stole my heart on this trip. Whenever I go there, I like to find a way to incorporate something animal inspired into my outfit. When I saw this animal print dress on Asos I knew I needed it. I wore it with the second pair of trainers I bought, a plain white canvas pair also from Asos. This was actually one of the days where we had the most rain, so a rain mac was necessary later in the day. Having been to Orlando many times before, I’m well aware of the changing weather and the rain you can get there. Umbrellas just aren’t practical in the theme parks, so I purposely bought myself a light, hooded rain mac. As I’d gone for a few baby pink accessories already, I really wanted a jacket in the same pastel hue, and I ended up finding one from New Look, who had a great selection at really affordable prices.

This next outfit is from what was one of the best days of our entire holiday. We had breakfast at Be Our Guest restaurant (which is set inside the Beast’s castle from Beauty and the Beast), I met Ariel in her amazing Under the Sea Grotto, I FINALLY got my hands on a pair of rose gold Minnie ears (I’d been endlessly hunting everywhere since we arrived for them!), and we did 3 different parks in one day. This floral tea dress is one I’ve had for a few years now and always a favourite for the summer. I can’t even remember where it’s from I’ve had it that long. It was a cooler day; hence the need for tights, so I opted for some black velvet pointed flats with a tie bow across them from New Look. They were such a soft material and comfier than I thought they’d be. My bag was another staple accessory throughout the holiday. It’s from Dune, and what really attracted me to it was how versatile it is. It can be used 3 ways, firstly with a black strap to be worn as a cross body style, secondly it has a gold chain for a more evening/dressy look, and finally it has a wristlet strap so it can be used as a clutch as well. Plus it’s classic black suede so goes with anything.

Next up is a dress that was a no brainer. It’s pink and red polka dots in the same jersey cotton as my rainbow dress and also from Asos. It was way too cute to resist and a full on Minnie Mouse dress. Paired with my baby pink trainers and backpack, it was probably the girliest and most cutesy of all my looks. I wore it to Epcot on a day that started out quite chilly. The jacket I wore I bought from Uniqlo at Disney Springs on one of our first nights there. It’s a Minnie Mouse bomber jacket, which couldn’t be more perfect, and got me through the cool evenings throughout the holiday.

Now for an outfit worn on a very special evening. I booked for a dinner at Hollywood and Vine at Hollywood Studios, which is one of the Character dining experiences at Disney. This particular dinner was Minnie’s Seasonal Dinner Party, with Minnie herself playing hostess in her festive Christmas outfit along with Mickey, Daisy and Donald Duck, and Goofy in his Santa outfit. I had to dress up for Miss Minnie, so I opted for this beautiful maroon red zip front tea dress from Asos. I finished off the look with my black Dune bag as before and some black suede pointed flats. And yes, I was way more excited than the kids there. Can we also just appreciate Minnie’s outfit? She was serious outfit goals.

This next dress I wore twice, once to Universal, and again to go shopping at the Mall at Millenia (my favourite mall) followed by an evening at Animal Kingdom. Whilst shopping, I treated myself to a new purse from Kate Spade, who has long been one of my favourite designers however I was yet to own a piece. I’ve had the same purse for a very long time so I was definitely in need of a new one, but I had no intention to buy one whilst we were shopping. We were in the US over Black Friday weekend, and I noticed Kate Spade had 30% off whilst we were passing so I had to go in and have a look. I knew I wanted a classic black purse, and I’m in love with the one I chose. But back to the outfit, and the dreamiest pastel ombre smock dress. The same shape and material as my polka dot one, this particular dress was probably the one that got the most compliments from people. I absolutely loved wearing it! I wore it on both occasions with my Adidas trainers, firstly with the baby pink backpack and then with my black Dune bag worn as a cross body for Animal Kingdom.

One thing I was really looking forward to doing this holiday was the Christmas Tree Trail at Disney Springs, which is Disney’s entertainment destination full of great restaurants, bars and the most incredible selection of shops. The Christmas Tree Trail was so much fun, with lots of different trees decorated to the theme of Disney characters and movies. I knew we were going to have a more chilled out day of shopping and some lunch as well in the gorgeous sunshine, so I went for a more laid back, casual look. This navy corduroy pinafore is from Monki but I’ve had it since 2016. I also wore a plain grey cropped t-shirt from Topshop and my white trainers from Asos. It was my bag that I let make the statement with this outfit. It’s from Danielle Nicole, who makes the most amazing bags. She has a whole Disney collection and I pretty much want every single one. They’re gorgeous! I wanted to treat myself to one for the holiday but I had a hard time narrowing it down to just one. I ended up choosing this Ariel one. The Little Mermaid has always been one of my favourite Disney films and Ariel is one of my favourite Princesses. And it also came out the year I was born, which I just love. The bag is a really lovely small size and fits just enough in it, with a nice gold chain so you can wear either over the shoulder or cross body. I’m already eyeing up a couple of others from the collection. FYI, the giant Pluto is actually a popcorn bucket! Coolest popcorn bucket ever!

Later that same day we went to Epcot for the evening. I wore the same Danielle Nicole Ariel bag but changed into a black and white star print dress from Glamorous. I can’t resist a star print, and I love the tie back of the choker neckline.

For what I already knew was going to be the best day ever, I wanted a dress I’d feel good in. The same style as the maroon red Asos dress I wore earlier in the holiday, this bold green floral tea dress was love at first sight and is probably the dress I’d recommend to anyone looking for a Spring/Summer dress right now. It’s also the dress I had the most photos taken in because it was such a great day. Despite how many times I’ve been to Disney World before, one thing I had never done was go inside the castle. There’s actually a restaurant inside, and I managed to get a reservation for breakfast. It was even more magical inside than I imagined. You’re greeted by Cinderella as you enter her castle, and we were joined by Snow White, Aurora, Ariel and Jasmine during breakfast. It also happened to be the most delicious breakfast, and was worth every penny. Highly recommend to anyone with a Disney World trip planned.

Another colourful dress, this contrasting striped number was worn to our last day at Animal Kingdom. I’ve always been a fan of print and colour, and this was a great addition to my holiday wardrobe and was another Asos find. We had such a fun day, with some of my most cherished photos from the entire holiday. With it being such a bold pattern and colourway, I kept the rest of my look simple with white trainers and pink furry backpack. Of course the rose gold Minnie ears made an appearance too.

My final outfit was for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, a special ticketed event at Magic Kingdom. Some guests go all out in the Christmas outfits, but for some reason I couldn’t get Lance on board with doing a couple’s Christmas dress up. So I instead chose a red textured dress and some red Christmas Minnie ears. It was quite a cold evening, so I went for tights, black flats and my Dune black bag, along with my Uniqlo Minnie bomber jacket. It was quite a busy night and I wanted to enjoy every minute of one of our last nights there, so I only ended up having the one photo taken. But it was with Belle, so that makes it a winner.

So there we have it. We spent the most amazing 2 weeks in Orlando and I loved every minute of it. There are a few other outfits I didn’t end up with any pictures of, but the ones I’ve shared with you I loved wearing and I hope to find ways to work them all into my upcoming summer wardrobe as well.